Former President Rodrigo Duterte flared up at his chief critic, former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who also testified at the House Quad Committee hearing on Wednesday regarding the alleged ‘drug money’ estimated at P2.4-billion that went to the bank accounts of the ‘Duterte crime family.’
Trillanes entered the picture during the second half of the marathon hearing, armed with a detailed presentation of cash transfers since 2011 from suspected drug lords to the former president and members of his family, including his wife and three politician children.
The former senator accused Duterte of running a “fake” war on drugs campaign to hide his involvement in large scale narcotics operations. He corroborated the earlier testimony of other resource persons, who claimed that the former president protected drug lords during his reign.
Trillanes identified businessmen Michael Yang, Charlie Tan, and Sammy Uy among the alleged personalities, who were working closely with Duterte in these alleged drug operations, based on the affidavits of then police colonel Eduardo Acierto and ex-Customs Intelligence Officer Jimmy Guban.
He said Duterte made the mistake of opening a joint account with his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, for these alleged transactions. “We all know that (cases of) impeachment are exempted in the Bank Secrecy Law,” Trillanes said.
Trillanes described the evidence he presented at the Quad Comm panel as the “smoking gun” on the extent of the Dutertes’ alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade, saying the banks have soft and hard copies of the said financial records.
“We concluded that the [drug war] was fake. He created the war on drugs to protect (the members of) his syndicate—Michael Yang, Sammy Uy and Charlie Tan,” according to the former senator. He claimed the Dutertes were trying to ‘eliminate the competition’ when they were ruling Davao City.
Duterte expectedly denied the allegations. He even dared Trillanes to file the appropriate cases against him, his son incumbent Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, and son-in-law Mans Carpio to prove his accusations that they are involved in drug smuggling.
“Your honor, if there is an iota of truth… You can find out… I am willing to execute an affidavit… to summon the banks pursuant to my waiver, if there is one iota of truth—just one—I will hang myself in front of you,” the former president told the Quad Comm.
“You can summon, I will sign a waiver, all banks… Kung may isang totoo lang (If there really is truth to it), I will resign and I will ask my daughter to resign and everybody in the family. That is my guarantee and I will hang myself,” Duterte added.
Trillanes said he acquired the information during the campaign period. He said that became the basis of his plunder case against Duterte in 2016. Later, he proposed to the joint panel to draft the bank secrecy waiver immediately and make the former president sign it.
House Deputy Speaker and Quezon Province Rep. David Suarez asked Duterte if he was willing to do it, prompting the latter to reply: “In exchange for what? Can I slap him (Trillanes) in public?” At this point, the lawmakers had to make a point or order and suspend the hearing momentarily.
Duterte looked at Trillanes, grabbed his mic, and attempted to throw it at the former senator’s direction. Other people had to move from their seats and try to calm the former president down before things could get even uglier.
Later, the former president apologized to the lawmakers. “Mr. Chair, I just would like to apologize for the unbecoming (behavior). Init sa ulo (I had a temper tantrum),” Duterte said. Suarez accepted his apology and the hearing resumed.
